


Moonlit Bonds

by tinydaydream



Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/F, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-13
Updated: 2018-03-17
Packaged: 2019-03-17 13:34:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13660056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinydaydream/pseuds/tinydaydream
Summary: Despite some professors’ protests, two students are simultaneously crowned Moonlit Witch this year. An innocent enough break with tradition, perhaps, until the crown enchantment backfires and causes both Akko and Diana’s lives to take an interesting turn. AU after the Samhain Festival.[Discontinued, most likely won't get back to working on this fic barring a *major* change of heart. Will update summary and post if that ever happens.]





	1. The Ceremony

“Akko.”

The surprise in my tone is evident, seeing as I was not at all convinced by Lotte’s earlier explanation that Akko had been practising all night. Perhaps I’ve been too judgmental, and she’s not as unreliable as Hannah and Barbara make her sound.

Her face is defiant. “Just watch.” 

She briskly walks past me. I hesitate for a moment, wondering if I should wish her good luck with the sacrifice, but before I can make up my mind she’s already gone, Lotte and Sucy following her onto the stage.

It only takes seconds for Akko to go off script. “Lets begin the exciting sacrifice ceremony show,” really? Is she trying to channel her idol even here, where all they can do is get eaten to appease Vajarois? Professor Finnelan and Badcock look annoyed at her antics as usual, but thankfully principal Holbrooke stops them from interfering.

I say thankfully, but who knows whether it won’t end disastrously anyway.

Watching Akko do anything reminds me of what it’s like watching a risky display from people you’re none too confident about, such as walking a tightrope between two large buildings, or someone throwing knives at a person attached to a spinning wheel. Even if I have no interest in the show, the constant fear of something going catastrophically wrong keeps me watching. Watching Akko do, well, anything, feels a lot like that.

Vajarois rises up from its container, and I notice that Akko’s friends immediately take to the air on their brooms. Odd. So whatever she’s planning, her friends are definitely in on it, and don’t plan to just go through the usual process either.

The monster—it’s the only word that does it justice, honestly—opens its gargantuan mouth, and I watch Akko take a step back in fear. Quite frankly, I can’t blame her. That amount of drool coming out of a mouth the size of a grown human can’t be a pleasant sight. Or smell, I suppose.

It lunges forward astonishingly quickly, swallowing up the poor girl before she can even react.

Is… that it?

Wait, is that a mouse?

“What a surprise! She transformed into a mouse and avoided being a victim!” I hear the booming voice of Wangari, and I actually feel relieved. Then a wave of annoyance hits me… why aren’t they just going through with the sacrifice? Are they just stalling until Vajarois manages to catch them? Surely they can’t be that cowardly?

It keeps going like this for a while, with Akko partially transforming into various animals and Vajarois unsuccessfully trying to eat her all the time. Lotte and Sucy are excellent supports to this whole venture, too, conjuring balloons to keep Akko in the air and growing large mushrooms for her to land on.

I awkwardly glance at the spectator benches as the group has somehow managed to stick a large amount of foliage on Vajarois’ head, with Akko in elephant form cutely peeking out of it telling it to smile for once. The teachers look offended of course, though I could swear I saw the principal giggle just now. At least the students and visitors seem to like it, with miss Marjolaine bursting out in laughter at all of Akko’s weird transformations.

Even I am a little impressed, looking at it all. They’re definitely giving everyone a show.

Unfortunately, the ghost doesn’t seem amused, and I wonder what the group’s endgame is. Did they even think about that, or are they going with Akko’s chaotic flow as usual? Did they assume that enough silliness would cause the ghost to enjoy their antics as well? I gasp as it finally gets in a good hit, and all three bounce up through the air, on trajectory for Vajarois’s mouth.

Somehow, Akko manages to get a hold of the Claiomh Solais again—or “Shiny Rod”, as she calls it. Mere seconds later however, the entire audience gasps as the group gets swallowed whole, followed by a deafening silence.

It was a good show, even I can admit, but the ending felt… lacking, to say the least.

“ARAE ARYRHA!”

The sudden power coming from Akko’s spell is obvious, and a large ball of light starts growing in Vajarois. “What’s this? Vajarois is acting strangely!” Wangari yells, and I can only stare at this display, my mind not quite understanding what’s happening either.

The light intensifies, and Vajarois seems to double over in pain as it tries its best to suppress Akko and her friends from doing… whatever it is they’re doing. Oh dear, I really hope Akko comes out of this one alright…

At last, the light engulfs the entire podium, and I hear a muffled voice inside it yelling, “Open your mind, let’s laugh together! ARAE ARYRHA!”

A pillar of blinding light shoots up into the sky, and the group washes onto the podium with a strange-looking seed. In the pillar of light is an ethereal-looking lady—that must be Vajarois’s true self!—with a smile on her face.

It only lasts seconds. The beam of light and the lady disappear, leaving a trail of shimmering dust and a baffled audience in their wake.

* * *

“And now, for the crowning!”

Wangari informed me that I’d probably be the one to be crowned Moonlit Witch, and I can’t help but feel how unfair that is to Akko. I’m far better at using magic in general, of course, but a Cavendish knows when to admit someone else achieved something important, too. Even I feel that “she technically didn’t do it properly” shouldn’t be an excuse when they achieved something so significant as releasing a spirit from its torment.

It reminds me all too much of that time with the Pappiliodya, when everyone was all too eager to praise me for everything that happened and no one would hear when I told them Akko was the one responsible.

Not this time.

In the time it takes for the cleaning team to clean up the stage, and Finnelan to bring out the Moonlit Crown and place it on a pedestal, I manage to find Ural, one of the visitors.

“Ah, miss Cavendish. Don’t worry, you’ll be the one who wins the crown today. You know what they say about breaking the rules, no matter how impressive.”

I frown. “Actually, that’s why I want to speak to you. Is there anything I can say to convince you or the other guests to crown Akko instead?” Admitting this makes me feel uncomfortable, and I hope no one ever finds out about me pushing this, but I have to press on now. “She may not have the most control over her magic, but even I agree that what she did today was the most impressive of us all, and I don’t want to see her get ignored because she didn’t do it properly again.”

Ural raises an eyebrow at me. “There is… something we’ve discussed, among the three of us, though it’s proving rather difficult to convince the professors of our idea. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you more about this right now. Rest assured, however, that miss Kagari will get her just reward as well.” She smiles mysteriously, “Assuming all goes as planned, you will find out at the crowning.”

Not entirely convinced, I debate trying to talk to the other two guests, but both seem to be in a heated discussion with professor Finnelan. At first I wonder if it’s about Akko’s display, but that doesn’t quite seem right. Professor Finnelan seems incredibly angry, and keeps mentioning something along the lines of “completely unheard of to change the ceremony in such a way”, with Marjolaine just smiling at her smugly.

I make my way over to sit on one of the benches in front of the stage, deciding that it’s best not to get involved.

I’m so tired now, but I can’t show this sort of weakness in front of anyone. Thankfully, from what I gathered from historical books on the Samhain Festival, the crowning never takes long.

After what seems like an eternity, principal Holbrooke and professor Finnelan step onto the stage, the latter still obviously trying to suppress her anger. Holbrooke starts talking about the greater meaning of the festival, about how being Moonlit Witch means sharing and partaking in some magical energy with all of those who’ve been crowned before thanks to an ancient enchantment, and so on. It’s nothing I’ve not read or heard before.

Finally, professor Finnelan speaks up. “Will Diana Cavendish please step onto the stage?”

I step forward confidently, making sure not to show any tiredness or unhappiness about being the one chosen to be crowned, and turn to the crowd.

Then, I notice the principal looking at the professor with an annoyed gleam in her eyes, and she coughs, staring at the ground. “…also, Atsuko Kagari. Please come to the stage.”

There’s no doubt that surprise is showing on my face, but thankfully everyone else’s too shocked to notice. Akko’s antics help a lot here, as she stumbles over one—no, two—of the benches on her hurried approach to the stage. There’s a fuzzy feeling in my stomach as I notice her ever-cheerful smile, but immediately push it away. Not now.

Once here, the girl gushes to me and everyone around her, “I can’t believe that I’m actually on this podium too! Wait, I’m not in trouble, am I? Oh no, I hope I didn’t actually do anything so bad that I’m going to get threatened to be expelled again! Vajarois wasn’t secretly a precious valuable heirloom that the school needed to sell to grouchy dragons to stay afloat, was it?” Professor Finnelan shoots her a glare, and she immediately shuts her mouth, making a zipping motion with her hand.

Again, I barely manage to suppress a smile.

The professor somehow manages to continue despite her lips being a very thin line. “Though this is _highly_ unusual, our _esteemed_ guests have seen it fitting that this year, there will not be one but _two_ Moonlit Witches.” She pauses, shooting a glare at any student in the audience who dares show appreciation for what she no doubt sees as sacrilege.

Principal Holbrooke speaks up when the professor seems too angry to continue. “Because the crown goes back to its safe place after tonight and the title itself doesn’t require anything to maintain after, all of us have used our not insignificant magical resources to temporarily increase the size of the enchanted crown so as to fit on both of our students’ heads at once.”

She removes the deep blue cloth that was hiding the crown—it’s more of a decorated hat, really—and we all notice that its shape has become a bit more… lopsided.

Akko snorts in amusement besides me, and I frown a little bit. It’s not the most elegant solution, that’s a given. I suppose Akko getting the recognition she deserved is what I asked for, though, so I can’t complain.

“If miss Kagari and miss Cavendish would please step forward to the pedestal?”

Both of us take a few steps forward as the principal struggles to lift up the rather heavy-looking crown.

“When this crown touches your head, you—the both of you—will become part of the group of students known as the Moonlit Witches. It’s a group of the most excellent and accomplished students, and it is our hope that sharing some of your magic with this crown as well as taking up some of it from its previous winners will only let you accomplish even greater things in the future.”

With that, we awkwardly bend down and she places the crown over both of our heads, Akko still giggling about its strange shape.

As it touches my scalp, there’s a blinding flash of multi-coloured light, and I feel my own magic reaching out for the enchantment. There’s another flash of blue light as it shares some of mine with the swirling mass of others, and I vaguely hear applause and impressed noises from the audience.

I’ve read about this before, but really being able to feel parts of the essences of previous witches from ages long past is still an intense experience. Though I can feel my own magic interacting with the enchantment, there’s too much energy in the swirling mass for me to make out other individuals.

A blinding third flash of red light startles me, and I notice that a small amount of new magical energy has entered the enchantment. It’s far more chaotic and uncontrolled than mine, sparking one way and the other, but at the same time impressively strong. That must be Akko’s.

I never knew the girl had this much magical potential. All the more reason to be a little wary whenever she’s got an impressive new plan and doesn’t know when to give up, I suppose.

My curiosity gets the better of me and I reach out with my magic to hers and its seemingly contradictory qualities. Sharing some of my magic with the Moonlit Witches now means Akko’s magic too, right?

The red and blue magic brush against each other inside the enchantment, and for a moment I could swear I can feel Akko’s excitement and happiness at finally showing the world her magic, at being able to make people happy like her idol, causing a strange giddiness to bubble up inside me.

A few seconds pass, the flashing lights still making it impossible for me to see anything, and then it’s Akko’s magic touching mine, and it seems to go all the way through the enchantment to my head, seemingly pure curiosity coming from her. It’s… warm. A little bit scary, too, but not actually uncomfortable.

I push back, slightly concerned about how easily the red and blue magic combine together, getting caught up in it instead of remembering what we’re supposed to be doing with the crown enchantment. Letting my magic flow into the girl next to me is almost effortless, and I feel a strange excitement that I can’t quite explain.

Until suddenly the red magic pushes back with aggressive interest and practically engulfs my entire body.

There’s a loud snap as I take a step back, startled, and the crown falls off our heads as entangled red and blue magic rebounds back into our bodies.

A thought that doesn’t seem to be my own, _uh oh, that may have been too enthusiastic_ , is the last thing I hear before passing out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone does a soul-bond fic at some point, right? Don’t judge me, please. Rated M this time for safety—this is essentially an experiment, and I don’t know exactly where it’s going yet, so I’d rather play it safe rather than worry later on about having to write around a T rating.


	2. Intrusive Thoughts

The sound of two girls arguing is the first thing I hear when I finally wake up. For some reason I have an absurdly bothersome headache, and it takes me a few minutes before I can make out any of the words.

“Everyone’s really concerned! Well, mostly about Diana, and admittedly there’s some talk about how you messed her up, but for the most part everyone’s hoping you’ll be back on your feet quickly!”

I think that’s one of Akko’s friends? Hm, I wish I would stop seeing all those glowing lights in front of my eyelids, it’s not helping the headache at all. At least it sounds like I’m in the infirmary, so regardless of what’s going on, there’s bound to be a medical professional around somewhere.

“Lotte, I really am alright. It’s just a headache at this point. I don’t really remember what happened after we got crowned, honestly. Maybe it was cursed?”

And that must be Akko herself. Didn’t Akko and I talk at a ceremony before I passed out?

“That makes no sense, why would they give you a cursed crown?” Lotte replies, then coughs awkwardly. “Okay, so maybe some of the teachers might. To Diana, though? I think you probably just let your magic get out of control and caused an accident.” She hesitates for a second, then adds, “At least that’s what professor Finnelan has been telling everyone.”

Akko snorts. “She’s obviously going on and on about how I should be expelled for being an embarrassment to the school, I’m sure. There wasn’t even anything I could do about it this time!”

I stir and slowly try to lift myself up, wincing as the flashes behind my eyelids instantly get worse, dropping myself back onto the bed.

“Diana?” I hear Lotte’s voice as she turns to me, with Akko’s voice echoing the same thing seconds after, both sounding concerned. “Hannah and Barbara aren’t here right now, but I can find them for you? It’s getting quite late, so they may be asleep already, but I can leave a message asking them to visit tomorrow.”

I nod weakly, not trusting myself to move more than that right now, and my eyes try to find Akko. She doesn’t look too beaten up, thankfully, though a little more pale than usual.

“That… would be appreciated. Thank you.”

How long have I been out? Looking through the window, it’s getting quite dark, but not yet as dark as it was at the ceremony. So… at least almost a day, then. Hm.

Lotte nods and sends me an awkward look, as if she noticed something strange about me, but leaves the infirmary quickly with a last worried glance at her friend. I hope I don’t look too bad either, I can’t afford to stay in the infirmary for long considering how many people rely on me doing my usual duties.

Akko’s voice shakes me from my thoughts, though she sounds much quieter than usual, “Diana…?”

“Yes?” I turn away from the window to face her and find her staring at me, a thoughtful frown on her usually so carefree face.

She blinks, confusion evident on her face. “How’d you know I was about to talk to you?”

“Excuse me? You just called my name…”

Is she playing some strange game? I’m hardly in the mood for playing around, with this headache being bad enough as it is, and me thoroughly confused at last nights’ events I still can’t entirely recall, though I’m sure the crowning was involved somehow.

She quickly turns away and mumbles, “I didn’t. I was thinking I should ask you something, but I never actually did. And I’m not playing games!”

It’s my turn to frown this time. Something very strange is going on here. I _definitely_ didn’t accuse her of that out loud, unless I’m in a worse mental state than I thought.

Akko turns back again, looking rather annoyed. “And why are you narrating everything as if I’m not here? You’re so… loud. And that’s saying something, coming from me.”

I don’t know how to reply to that, and instead find myself analysing her face. It may not be just _my_ mental state that’s in bad shape, either. Perhaps she has a rather bad concussion, causing her to imagine things? There’s a bruise on the side of her head, probably from an awkward fall after we passed out. Not that it makes her look any less attractive, but it may very well be the source of her accusations.

Akko actually looks a little concerned now, and a small blush is starting to show on her cheeks. It’s… actually rather cute. “Diana, what’s going on? This headache… doesn’t feel normal.” _And why are you saying I’m cute?_

My eyes having somehow drifted to her lips, I can hear the unspoken thought this time, as clear as if it were spoken out loud by an insistent little Akko inside my head.

Oh.

This might get… awkward.

Realising what has the both of us so confused, the headache becomes more bearable almost immediately. What I assumed to be a particularly nasty headache from a fall turns out to be a lot of unfocused thoughts coming from the Japanese girl next to me. Not exactly something I was expecting to wake up to.

Pointedly ignoring her last question, I try to focus my thoughts towards her this time while looking in her eyes. One simple way to find out if this works, I suppose.

_Akko?_

She gasps, now noticing it too. _Diana? …What’s happening? Why can I hear you like this?_

A sigh escapes me as I close my eyes, finding her red ones a little too intense to look at right now.

_That explains it, then. I think our magic still hasn’t entirely disconnected after that crowning… incident. I don’t know all that much about it, but sharing thoughts is supposedly a fairly common side-effect of magical connections._

The surprise is evident on her face, but a small grin quickly replaces it. _Huh. The great Diana Cavendish not knowing everything about something? That’s front page news right there!_

I roll my eyes and stare at the ceiling, trying not to fall for her teasing. It just figures that _that’s_ what a girl like Akko would focus on, rather than the fact that, oh, I don’t know, it’s almost impossible to keep our thoughts private.

_It feels comfortable._

Did I hear that correctly? Turning back to her, I notice Akko is blushing profusely and trying very hard not to look at me.

_It’s a bit annoying how I don’t know what thoughts to let you know about and how to block you from others. But, yeah, now that the headache’s mostly gone it actually feels kind of nice, just a little strange and unfamiliar. If it’s just for a little while, I may as well try to look on the bright side of it! Also, uhm…_

“Yes?”

Talking out loud to something only I can hear in my head. Great job looking sane, me.

Akko giggles, clearly picking up on those thoughts. “Well…,” _I got glimpses of the field outside through your eyes earlier when you were staring out the window. That was kinda cool._

Cool, hm? I’m not sure that’s the word I would use to describe any of this. Closing my own eyes, pictures of my own face Akko’s staring at at enter my mind almost immediately. So this is how Akko sees me? That’s so strange.

At least it lets me confirm that I don’t have any particularly nasty bruises myself.

_I suppose we’ll have to figure out how to not to let this connection interfere with our lessons._ Noticing her giggle at school being the first thing my mind jumps to, I let out a huff. “One of us has to care.”

“You’re right, you’re right.” _It’s just so… you? I don’t mean that in a bad way. I just thought it was funny._

“Ah… girls?” A polite cough coming from the corner of the infirmary, startling both of us and shaking us from our thoughts. It’s professor Ursula. At least it isn’t Finnelan walking in on this half-spoken conversation. Our faces are far too close, too! What exactly did this look like from an outsider’s perspective?

The professor sets herself down on the empty chair left in front of Akko’s bed, and looks at me seriously. I’m so used to her usual clumsy and stuttering ways that it can be hard to think of her as a real teacher, but she seems far more composed today. “So you really did get bonded during the ceremony, then,” she sighs.

I open my mouth to protest, but she silences me with a stern look. “Neither of you noticed, but I entered the infirmary a little while ago, and it was obvious from the way you two were talking. You don’t need to deny it.”

_I don’t think she’s someone we need to worry about hiding this from, Diana._

It’s easy for Akko to think that, but I don’t trust her nearly as much. If this gets out before all goes back to normal, well, I’m not sure what’ll happen. _I just don’t want any of this to come back to haunt us in the future._

“You just worry too much.” _You should learn to go with the flow for once._

_It’s called being responsible, Akko._

The blue-haired professor smiles awkwardly. “It’s really quite confusing to see this kind of communication right in front of me.”

Akko giggles. “It’s hard to notice when either of us are talking out loud or, uh, telepathically I guess?”

Deciding to get to the matter at hand, I clear my throat. “Professor Ursula. Since it sounds like you know more about this subject than either of us, could you tell us when we can expect this to go back to normal?”

“Ah.”

She looks me straight in the eyes.

“It most likely won’t.”

Noticing the shock in my eyes, her expression softens. “These things have happened to witches before, and in fact I’d say you two are doing extraordinarily well in how the connection’s functioning. Most witches with an accidental connection like that aren’t nearly as fortunate. It’s almost always permanent, however.”

For a moment I could swear there’s a hint of regret in her voice, but before I can think about it it’s gone, and she turns to Akko as well.

“I have some theoretical knowledge on the topic, and will probably be able to help the two of you while you get accustomed to the bond. I suggest that you don’t tell anyone else about this for now. Though it’s hard to keep secret forever, I agree with Diana that some—especially some of the teachers—may respond less than favourably, and possibly try to take it out on Akko.”

Slowly coming back from the shock, I feel Akko’s attention on me. _Are you alright? I, ah, am sorry?_

Shaking my head, momentarily forgetting that the gesture makes no sense to the professor, I respond, “It’s not your fault.” _And I can’t say that it’s been a… problem, so far. It’s simply a shock, and I’m not sure how I’m expected to react._

The wave of affection I suddenly feel from her through our… bond, I suppose, surprises me. I assumed she was never much of a fan of me, talking about me being her rival and all that.

_Akko?_

_Ah, sorry. I was hoping some happy feelings would make you feel better. It’s pretty weird to see you have a harder time adjusting than me._ I can feel her hesitation through the connection. _I just never got the impression that you saw me as anything other than an annoyance._

An embarrassed blush tints my cheeks, and Akko turns to the professor with an amused expression, though a small blush is still obvious on her own cheeks as well. “Diana’s poker face isn’t nearly as flawless when you can hear her thoughts.“

Professor Ursula tries her hardest not to laugh as she stands up. “Ah, of course. At any rate, we can discuss this more when you two get out of the infirmary. For now, just focus on recovery, you _did_ have a bad fall, after all, and getting used to this connection.”

She makes her way out the infirmary, leaving Akko and me with our shared thoughts.

_You okay, Diana?_

_Hm. I think so. It’ll just take a little while for all of it to sink in._

_It’s kinda funny how even your thoughts sound formal._

This is all a little too much at once. I take my wand from the nightstand and focus on one of the empty teacups, whispering, “Slonhon deance,” hoping a few flowers in this sterile environment will distract me.

A magic not entirely my own adds power to the spell, an amount that proves rather hard to control as I try to keep my arm steady.

WHOOSH. There’s a bright light and an explosion of petals, and when I open my eyes again the entire infirmary is absolutely _covered_ in red and blue flowers. The floor, the walls, the ceiling, Akko, myself… everything.

Akko stares at the colourful ceiling and the dozens of flowers covering her body with a bemused look on her face, sputtering a bit to get some of the flowers out that have somehow even gotten in her mouth. “Uhm, Diana?”

_Ah, that did not end up being exactly the sort of distraction I intended._

The girl next to me just giggles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Telepathy is tricky, especially while I’m trying to make both characters get used to it and mix up verbal and nonverbal communication a fair bit. I’m hoping the distinction between spoken (regular quotes) and unspoken (cursive) sentences is reasonably easy to follow. I also tried to distinguish between focused mental conversation—that would be the writing in cursive—and regular thoughts Diana has that Akko happens to pick up on—which would just be in regular font and we only learn about when Akko responds to them. I hope this didn’t end up being too confusing.


	3. Life as Usual

In between Akko’s uncontrollable laughter reliving what she was now calling the “Flower Incident”, professor Ursula finally manages to get a few words in, “Yes, the bond connects your magic, meaning either of you can draw on your shared magical reserves when casting a spell. It’s something you’ll slowly learn to control, I’m sure.“ A small smile on her lips, she adds, “It sounds like some impressive magic, even if it backfired a little. I always knew you had it in you, Akko.”

A little? That’s a rather generous way of looking at it. Getting rid of the massive piles flowers before anyone noticed with our unpredictable magic was hardly a small challenge.

We managed to in the end, of course, but the experience still has me in an annoyed mood. It almost looks like I will have to learn to control my magic all over again.

Despite all that, there’s a smile on my face, but it’s mostly because of Akko’s stupid cheerful feelings completely breaking down my composure over the course of this week. That girl has such strong emotional responses to the smallest things, and it’s completely overwhelmed me.

The mental equivalent of a pout appears in my head. _I know you don’t mind the extra cheer, so don’t act like that!_

Sigh.

It’s been a stressful week, to say the least. Though we got discharged from the infirmary after only two days, getting used to the bond has been a challenge. Comparatively, the infirmary almost feels like a vacation now—sure, we were only just learning to get used to it, but at least accidental mumbling a thought out loud in public wouldn’t lead to strange stares from our classmates or teachers.

Luckily, the teachers are so far accepting my “I’m still recovering from the ceremony” excuse.

Trying to hide her smile, Ursula looks at us seriously. “Has anyone started noticing anything different about you two yet?”

Akko grins at some of the embarrassing memories that come flooding back to me, “Well...”

* * *

_By the Nine Witches, Akko,_ please _stop playing around and pay attention to your philosophy class, it’s hard to concentrate._

A few classrooms away, Akko stops her aimless wand gesturing and tries to pay attention to professor Pisces instead. It’s not hard to tell that she has no interest in most classes that don’t get her any closer to being like her ideal, Shiny Chariot.

_Sorry, sorry. I should never have taken this class in the first place, it’s just so booooring._

_It’s your own fault for trying to take the easiest classes without knowing what they’re about._

Akko sticks her tongue out, causing a couple classmates to look at her oddly, but none of them say a thing. Akko acting a little strange isn’t anything unfamiliar to most, I suppose.

_I heard that._

_I’m not wro—_

“Miss Cavendish? The incantation for the colour-changing spell?”

“A-Ah, my apologies. It’s, uhm, Mutati Coloris.”

Professor Badcock looks at me directly, her eyes full of concern. “Please let any of the teachers know if you’re still not feeling quite well, Diana. There’s no need to push yourself more than is absolutely necessary, considering how far ahead of everyone else you are.”

I nod, suppressing a blush. This is the first time I’ve missed a question from a teacher due to not paying attention. It’s embarrassing.

_Sorry about that,_ Akko responds through our bond, though she can’t quite hide her amusement.

Mere minutes later, a careless little swoop of Akko’s wand accidentally turns professor Pisces into a large seal, shattering the glass bowl and spilling water all over the floor, causing me to actually giggle as I hear Akko awkwardly trying to explain herself.

Unsurprisingly, the entire class stares at me, no doubt wondering what I’m finding so funny about magically painting fences.

This bond’ll be the death of me.

* * *

Another sigh escapes me. That seems to happen a lot these days. “It… could’ve been a lot worse. I’m reasonably confident we’re still in the clear.” Somehow. No thanks to the antics of the girl I’m sitting next to here.

_Professor Pisces made a pretty good seal, honestly. I could tell even you thought she looked cute!_

Professor Ursula suppresses another smile as I glare at Akko, hopefully deciding it’s best not to ask.

“Diana’s being grumpy, but it’s really not all bad! She now feels a lot less lone-…I-I mean, it’s nice to always have a friend around, even if we fight a lot.”

“Not to mention that you finally managed to fly a broom,” I point out, not intending to sound sarcastic but it somehow still ended up coming out that way.

It’s Akko’s turn to glare this time.

* * *

“Seriously, Akko. Not that I don’t understand wanting to fly, but what makes you think _this_ time it’ll finally work?”

Amanda drifts past lying sideways on her broom, lazily watching the resolute girl still standing on the ground, broom in her hand. The determined stare Akko sends her way doesn’t faze anyone for a second.

Lotte nods. “Amanda might be right, Akko. N-Not that we don’t believe in you! But you still seemed a little off during class and you’ve only just gotten out of the infirmary, maybe it’s a better idea to skip practice today?” She turns to Sucy for support.

The mushroom-obsessed girl looks disinterested as usual. “When Akko has something in her head there’s no stopping her, we may as well just enjoy the unavoidable chaos.”

I’m standing a bit further away, carefully keeping my expression neutral, not wanting to give the impression to anyone that we’ve gotten any closer after the crowning. There’s no need for us to act like friends in public, even now. Still, I’m keeping a watchful eye on her. If somehow she _does_ manage to fly this time, it would be very Akko to immediately take an awkward turn and fly headfirst into the school walls, something I don’t doubt would affect me through our bond as well.

_That hurts, you know._

I know I should try to have a little more faith in her sometimes, but… _I’m just trying to watch out for you, Akko._

_Not that. The not wanting to say we’re friends part._

Oh. I was not expecting her to care about that. My expression falters a little, unsure how to respond. Thankfully, it doesn’t look like Barbara or Hannah noticed.

Are we friends?

I’ve always been rather hard on her in the past. It wasn’t all out of malice—I simply hated seeing a girl trying to become a witch waste that opportunity, especially when her lack of initial skill reminded me so much of my own past.

But it does mean that I never expected her to see me in a particularly friendly light, and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit it was one of my stronger concerns after we got discharged from the infirmary. That the bond would end up being hard to deal with due to one of us disliking the other.

I-I mean, I do like Akko. Rather a lot, even, though I can’t always explain to myself why. So I suppose we may be friends, if she doesn’t mind being around me either. I may even—

_Yay! I like you too, Diana!_

A fiery blush spreads on my cheeks, remembering too late that _of course_ she could hear exactly what I’m thinking.

“Uhm, Akko? What are you grinning about?” Amanda interrupts, waving her hand in front of Akko’s face. “You just spaced out for a minute there.”

“Oops! My bad! TIA FREYRE!”

And just like that, on her first attempt today, she launches into the air, then immediately crashes into the closest tree.

* * *

“You should’ve caught me…,” Akko mumbles, still pouting after revisiting that particular memory and rubbing one of her new elbow scrapes.

I only barely manage to keep a straight face.

“In my defence, the fact that I was distracted is completely your fault.”

Professor Ursula, trying to at least see the upside, responds, “You managed to fly, though! That’s an incredible success, Akko. I’m so proud of you!”

“It was quite impressive, that poor tree didn’t stand a chance,” I comment drily.

Akko grins widely and nods, “It was the power of friendship!”

I roll my eyes, yet can’t deny that little spark of happiness in me at her enthusiastic exclamation.

* * *

Less than half an hour before curfew, we finally step out of the teacher’s chaotic office, slowly making our way back to the dorms. It’s rather unusual for me to be walking around the school this late unless there’s some sort of crisis going on, and I keep finding myself tense up in response to the smallest noises. This is… most unlike me. I have to stay composed.

I was hoping we’d have a better idea about the functioning of our bond after this session, but it looks like we just spent most of it telling her about the events of last week. I don’t want to seem ungrateful, but professor Ursula just seems to want to know what her favourite student is up to, which doesn’t really get us any further. I wonder if she even knows more about those bonds than she’s letting on?

I’m completely out of my element here. I don’t like it.

_Do you think we’re doing well? Professor Ursula seems pretty optimistic, but you’re… really closed off right now._

Her thoughts gently brush up against mine with obvious curiosity, and it feels like she’s trying to comfort me somehow. It’s a strange feeling, but not actually unpleasant. Awkwardly, the distraction almost makes me trip over my own feet, and I decide it’s best to sit down against the wall for a minute if she’s doesn’t stop.

I let Akko know I need to stop for a moment, and we make ourselves as comfortable as is possible sitting against a wall in the cold hallway—which it turns out is not actually very comfortable.

She scoots a little closer.

_I want to know more about you._ Her tone is insistent, but not unfriendly. _Maybe I’m being selfish, but it doesn’t feel good when you close off like that. Friends should be able to talk about these things! Especially friends who can read your thoughts!_

“Akko…” I begin, but quickly realise I have no idea how to answer. I’m not even sure what I’m so afraid will go wrong. Am I really just so incapable of adjusting to a new situation? You’d think a witch from the Cavendish family would do better.

_I’m scared._

It’s the only thing I can think to say that isn’t a complete lie.

The Japanese girl sends me a suggestion, and I awkwardly nod in response, not being able to stop my blush as she slowly wraps her arms around me from behind.

And then it all comes rushing out.

_Since I started at Luna Nova, I’ve had this idea of how everything would work out. I’d learn as much as I could, become head of the Cavendish family, and somehow return it to its former glory. But then…_ I make a frustrated gesture with my hands, unsure how to describe it. Akko nods, just as aware as I am of how unusual this whole magical bond business is. _It’s changed everything, I don’t know if we’re going to be stuck with each other forever, or how that changes all our plans, and I suppose I have trouble trusting that everything is going to be alright._

Akko squeezes me a little bit closer, and I can feel her magic blending with mine just a little more. Why does that feel so good?

“Well, yeah, it’s scary. I have no idea what’s going to happen either, but I know I don’t mind being stuck with you at all.” She smiles encouragingly, “Knowing each other’s thoughts makes it pretty hard to dislike someone, and you turned out to be pretty amazing, you know!”

It’s obvious that she’s trying really hard not to blush or otherwise let me know how embarrassing it is to say that, so I pretend not to notice as I turn to face her.

“I… don’t think I mind being stuck with you either, Akko. I apologise if it’s hard to tell when I’m closing up like this. And I’m glad you consider me a friend.”

Her wide grin cheers me up, too, even if only a little bit.

It’s only then that I notice how close our faces are, and how little effort it would take to—

Uh oh. I stand up as quickly as I can, almost tripping over my own feet a second time. Isn’t Akko supposed to be the clumsy one?

“A-Ah, We’ll talk agai—, I mean, see you again tomorrow! For classes!”

I run off to my room in a rush, trying to keep my scattered thoughts from leaking through the bond, leaving a rather bemused-looking Akko behind.

Why am I feeling so fuzzy inside?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Akko is still best girl. Unrelatedly, I have no idea what I’m doing when it comes to making up incantations, but I’m hoping it seems to fit the general theme well enough that it doesn’t stand out too much.


	4. Potential

“MUROWA!”

A tree explodes into a rain of splinters, Diana quickly raising a magical barrier to prevent any of it from hitting us. The target dummy I was supposed to hit far too the right of the tree still swaying softly in the wind, taunting me with its lack of visible damage.

“Akko, please concentrate. Don’t glance at me when you cast the spell. Your aim is still off.”

I’m trying, I really am. This is the fourth complete miss so far, and I can already feel Diana drily commenting in my head about how I really seem to have an unnatural hatred of trees.

It’s all Diana’s fault for being so… so… distractible!

I can’t complain, I guess, what with the bond making spells so much easier to cast. It’ll be a lot easier to be like Chariot now!

A careless wave of my wand, and another nearby tree bursts into flame.

…Assuming I ever manage to stop letting Diana distract me and learn to hit what I’m aiming at for a change. I guess I should be happy that so far I’ve mostly blown up trees, rather than, say, the person who's distracting me.

Diana quickly rushes over to put out the fire with her wand, an amused look on her face.

I let out a sigh. _Don’t say it._

Some shouting in the distance distracts me from my partner’s far more elegant spell casting. It looks like our training’s over if all our friends are about to interrupt. Our evening practice isn’t exactly a secret, but Diana still figured it would be a good idea not to have too many people around—small things here and there may give our bond away.

I have to admit it’s nice to have a break now and then, too, instead of constantly worrying about what everything looks like to others. I don’t really care myself, I know I make a fool of myself in public sometimes, but Diana’s little miss perfect public image is different. Everything she does is to make sure no one important could ever see anything wrong with her, and I suppose having some sort of weird magic bond with the worst student in school would be… not perfect.

I can’t even begin to imagine what it’s like for Diana’s entire life to be like that.

“Heeeeeey Akko, Diana!” Amanda makes it to us first, of course, with Lotte and Sucy following on brooms not too far behind. The others seem to be lingering a bit further away. I’m sure Hannah and Barbara are still none too happy about me being closer to Diana for some reason, and I don’t know the others very well.

“Still practising late into the evening, huh?” Amanda smirks, then continues, “It’s expected from blondie, of course, but she’s making you awfully boring too.”

I try to protest, but she holds up a hand immediately.

“I know, I know, ‘I have to train hard to be like Chariot,’ we’ve all heard it. From what we could see it looks like you’re pretty much back to normal, though, or even better—I’ve never seen anyone blow up that many trees so effortlessly.”

Diana’s fully caught up to us by now, the last tree now a mostly blackened stump, but thankfully she stopped the fire from spreading any further. She sends Amanda a challenging stare. “There’s nothing wrong with practising and getting better, is there?”

Amanda doesn’t seem too impressed. “Nah. It’d just be nice to have Akko do something more interesting again. This place is too boring when you’re being a proper student, Akko. Finnelan barely even yells at you anymore.”

I cough awkwardly, feeling Diana’s just one step away from snapping aggressively at the American girl, and I figure I’d better stop this before it gets out of hand.

“I’m sorry, Amanda. I’ll have more time to do fun things soon, I’m sure!” I smile my usual bright smile, hoping that’s enough to stop this from turning into a fight.

It takes me just a second too long to notice Amanda’s smug expression at Diana. “A cute girl doing something fun with me? I guess we can make it a date! Next weekend at the ice cream place outside the school?”

Wait, what?

_No._ Diana’s loud reply instantly sounds in my head, and I don’t think I’ve heard her angry like that before. I’m not even sure she’s aware of how obvious her thoughts are to me right now, since I had to look at her to make sure she didn’t actually say that out loud. It’s a strange thing, with how bored she still manages to look on the outside.

“Uhm… W-Well…”

_Akko. No._ Diana doesn’t quite manage to hide the annoyance on her face this time, and I cringe away from how angry she sounds.

Taking my expression for an answer, Amanda laughs loudly. “Relax, Akko. I’m just joking around. Don’t worry Diana, I won’t take your ‘practice partner’ away from you.” She turns around to walk away again, leaving Lotte looking extremely uncomfortable and Sucy trying in vain to hide a grin.

One quick glance at Diana shows that she looks as bored and unimpressed as ever. It almost makes me wonder if I just imagined her reaction?

Before hopping onto her broom, the American girl looks back one more time. “We’re still going to get ice cream soon, though! You need a break from all this boring work. You can bring Diana, too, seeing as the two of you are inseparable these days anyway.”

And with that, she flies off, flashing the both of us one last grin.

I can almost _hear_ the awkward silence.

“…Well, that was interesting,” Sucy mutters, and Lotte can only laugh uneasily in response.

* * *

_So… that was a thing._ Diana’s been unusually quiet since we finally got back to practising, and so far it’s hard for me to get her to say anything. Even her thoughts seem more closed off now, I’m not sure I like that she’s gotten better at that. Is she that bothered by Amanda’s usual bluntness? She never seemed to care before.

_It’s fine, Akko, we should really just get back to practising. Your aim still needs some work._

I frown a little at that, it’s obvious that _something_ is up, but I’m not sure what could be such a big deal. I always thought Diana would be much better at shrugging off Amanda’s teasing like that than me.

Diana incinerates her third practice dummy with a particularly annoyed-looking flick of her wand, then looks back at me neutrally and points to two of my targets still standing. _Magical power isn’t everything, and I know you can do this. We can go back once you’ve hit both at least once._

I let out an annoyed yell as I miss my target once more. “These things are impossible! They should put sights on these wands or something so it’s easier to aim!”

A subtle smile replaces the frown on Diana’s face that’s been there since our friends left earlier, and for some reason it makes me feel all warm inside. “It wouldn’t help much with how much you have to wave your wand around to cast a spell. It’s not a gun, Akko, the direction of the spell depends more on your concentration than on which way you’re holding it.”

As if to demonstrate, she grabs her wand by the wrong end, then casually flicks at one of the two remaining targets, causing it to explode into splinters. _See? Only one target left. Hit it, and we can finally go back._

I grumble. _Thanks, I guess._ So Diana doesn’t even have to do it properly to still hit a target like that. Can’t say that’s great for my confidence, but what can you do.

Her expression softens a little more, and she steps over to me. “Here, let me help you with the gestures. Your wand movement is a tad sloppy.”

“I’m fine! Really!” I really really _really_ don’t particularly want her to babysit me any more than she already does. I know that if I can just stop being distracted for five seconds I’ll do a lot better.

Closing my eyes, I fire one more spell, obviously missing the target by an even wider amount than usual. Turns out keeping my eyes closed isn’t helping things.

Diana seems to hesitate for a second, but then gently grabs my arm. She’s… a lot more careful than usual, I’m pretty sure. _Please, let me help you._ I nod vaguely in response, but only feel more distracted by her hand on my arm. If being distracted is the problem, this definitely isn’t helping.

My face’s heating up, and I could swear so is Diana’s. What’s up with that? She’s just some fancy girl who happened to get stuck with me and some magical bond. Nothing more.

It must be that stupid connection. I could feel the magic in the bond intensifying when she touched my arm, and it’s probably just causing other things Ursula hasn’t explained to us yet? That must be it.

“A-Anyway, move your arm like this,” Diana stammers as she moves my arm around in the proper way for the Murowa spell, “Don’t tense up. Then speak the incantation when your arm’s at the highest point, and focus intently on the target. You can do this.”

I close my eyes again—knowing that probably isn’t going to help—and focus on what I’m doing as best I can. The warmth of our bond and Diana’s hand _really_ isn’t making this any easier. Alright. Focus, Akko. Move my arm properly, make sure to stand properly, then shout the spell at the right time…

“MUROWA!”

The bolt of magic hisses through the air, and actually manages to close in on the edge of my target. I’m about to let out an excited yell, when the bolt hits and the blast wave knocks me back on my behind, a deafening explosion in my ears.

What neither of us were expecting when the dust clears, is a large crater where my target used to be, grass and trees on fire in at least a ten yard radius from the impact.

“Well, I suppose you technically managed to hit the target?” Diana looks pale, maybe because a chunk of the forest just went… missing. I get a little more concerned when she drops down on her knees, closing her eyes and panting heavily.

_Are you okay? I suppose I’ll have to stop making fun of you for the Flower Inci-…woah, lightheaded. Maybe I overdid it slightly?_

The last thing I remember before hitting the grass and passing out is the sound of people running over and professor Finnelan’s voice.

“Atsuko Kagari! What did you do _this_ time?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry I’ve been away for so long, please don’t get mad at me! Life’s been busy, to say the least, not all of it fantastic, but I’m hoping I managed to get out a half-decent chapter either way. It’s a little on the smaller side.


	5. Distance

“I can’t believe she made you of all people help clean all the school uniforms with me. I mean, Finnelan? She pretty much worships the ground you walk on.”

To be honest, I think Finnelan was more angry about Diana trying to take the blame instead of how she supposedly pushed our training too hard, but maybe she actually tried to be fair with her punishments for once, who knows.

Nah, not a chance.

As much as I like having someone else around to chat to during detentions, it’s still boring work. And, of course, we’re not allowed to use magic. Though, if I remember at least two recent explosive events, perhaps that’s not such a bad thing right now.

Diana isn’t exactly in the mood for talking, either. I shouldn’t laugh, but it’s still really funny how she clearly has no idea how to deal with this. It’s obvious she’s never had a teacher so much as get mad at her, let alone give her detention.

_I’m fine! I’m not_ that _unfamiliar with all… this! Besides, I’m just trying to be glad that detention’s the worst of it, instead of people trying to figure out what happened exactly._

I can’t help but frown a little at that. Not that I’m not glad that we don’t have to deal with people poking around in this personal stuff, but the fact that everyone just assumes that “Oh, it’s just Akko doing something dumb” kind of hurts. I’ve gotten a lot better since I got here, and I’m much better at metamorphosis magic in particular!

There’s a strange soothing sensation in my head, and I turn around to face Diana who’s watching me with an unusually soft expression. _You’ll get there. Your ability to channel magic has improved a lot—even if the bond might be considered cheating—and you’re slowly working on your control. Eventually everyone will have to accept that you’re just as good at magic, if not better._

I feel myself blushing, which seems to be happening more often lately for some reason. “T-Thanks, I guess. I just wish people believed in me a little more.”

“I believe in you, Akko.”

I gape at her, does she not realise how sappy that sounds? I mean, it’s nice to hear all the same, and makes me feel kind of fuzzy inside, but… No. She doesn’t mean anything by it, Akko. Just appreciate that you’ve made a new friend who cares about you. Don’t read more into it.

Diana turns back to her laundry duties too, probably aware of how it sounded, or maybe she can feel my embarrassment through the bond. I should work on not letting these confusing thoughts through to her.

Though she still pointedly stares at the laundry and really anywhere other than at me, she speaks up again after a few minutes of silence. “At any rate, I meant to tell you: Headmistress Holbrooke asked me to take care of some magical disturbance near a lake somewhere to the south from here. It’s a longer flight, so I won’t be able to practice with you or visit professor Ursula later.”

I nod vaguely, still distracted by… previous things. “Sure, makes sense. When are we leaving?”

She hesitates, long enough for me to look up and notice she’s staring at me oddly. “Akko… not us. They asked _me_ to go.”

_Oh. I… guess that makes sense._ Silly of me to assume that they’d ask the student who just blew up a chunk of the school forest to take care of something that important, of course. Still, something about the idea of Diana taking care of this on her own makes me uncomfortable.

Is it just jealousy? That doesn’t make much sense, I don’t particularly want to take care of these sorts of chores for the school—it doesn’t sound like the sort of thing that would be all _that_ interesting.

Diana coughs awkwardly. “I know you’ve gotten a lot more skilled, and it’s not that I don’t think you’re up for it, but we can’t really let the teachers know about the recent changes. Not yet.”

A small nod is all I can manage. Maybe it’s just that? The idea that we have to be all secretive and sneaky about all this, it doesn’t suit me at all.

I know there’s more to it than that, I just wish I could figure out what.

Normally I’d ask Diana for help with figuring things out these days, but unfortunately that probably wouldn’t help here. “Hey Diana, why am I so uncomfortable with the idea of you going off on your own to take care of a stupid little chore that I know you can easily do?” Yeah, bad idea.

I reach for one more school outfit to clean, only to realise that it’s the last one. Well, that’s at least _one_ good thing from being lost in thought, I could swear we would still be stuck here for another hour.

Diana’s obviously already noticed, and already started cleaning off and making sure she looks all neat and tidy again. Before heading out to do her… whatever chore it was she needed to do again, she looks back at me one last time, a small blush on her face.

_And… the detention wasn’t so bad. I suppose I wouldn’t mind having to do things like this with you again in the future._

Before I can respond, she’s already gone, leaving me to wonder what _that_ meant while trying to get the soap out of my clothes.

* * *

I run into Lotte and Sucy after finally cleaning up all that soap that seemed to get everywhere, and thankfully professor Ursula’s office is in the same direction our dorm.

Sucy sends me one of her signature bad-things-about-to-happen grins, and casually asks, “So, did you and Diana have ‘fun’ in detention?”

Okay, so maybe I wouldn’t have minded if our dorm were on the opposite side of the school right now.

“We’re _not_ going out. Are you still teasing me about this?” I look at Lotte pleadingly, but she just shrugs uncomfortably.

“Everyone else is starting to notice that there’s something there, Akko. Even Barbara asked me earlier if I knew something more, since Diana won’t talk to her about it.”

“Even if the two of you are completely oblivious,” Sucy mutters.

I let out a quiet grumble. It’s not my fault that this bond makes it look like we’re in a relationship when we’re not. It turns out it’s _really_ hard not to constantly make it seem as if we have some sort of private joke about everything when we can hear each others’ most embarrassing thoughts.

I only want to be around her all the time because it’s the best way to figure out how to manage this bond. So we can learn to control our thoughts and not accidentally look through each other’s eyes in embarrassing situations—trying to get dressed with my eyes closed isn’t great. Not because I’m actually starting to _like_ Diana. I mean, I like her, especially after getting to know her better now. But obviously it’s not like, like like. Obviously.

That’d be crazy.

Sucy’s teasing must be getting to me.

Lotte as usual tries to be the voice of calm, “All we’re saying is that if you and Diana are, uhm, you know… dating. You can tell us, okay? We promise we won’t judge.”

“Even if she _is_ kind of stuck-up and rude,” Sucy can’t resist adding oil to the fire.

“She’s not! Diana’s actually a really nice person when you get to know her!” Seeing Sucy’s smug expression and realising I just fell for the obvious bait, a blush creeps up on my face again. “And we’re not dating!”

I let out a sigh, glad that we’ve almost reached professor Ursula’s office. Reaching out with my thoughts to Diana to make sure she’s alright, she seems too focused on handling her broom in the heavy wind to notice. Does she usually have this much trouble keeping her broom under control? She always makes it look so effortless. The bond feels a little distorted as well, I don’t like it. Maybe it’s the weather?

The professor opens the door to her office when she no doubt heard me yelling in the hallway, inviting me in. “Good afternoon, Akko. Diana isn’t with you?”

Sucy snickers at the phrasing, and I glare at her as she and Lotte quickly leave. Lotte sends me a small wave, “See you at dinner, Akko! Remember that you can tell your friends anything!”

Ursula seems lost in thought as I try to make myself comfortable on one of the nearby chairs, finally turning to me with a question, “Going by what miss Jansson just said, I take it it’s becoming harder to hide the connection from your classmates?”

I nod uncomfortably. “I _know_ it’s just the connection, but I really don’t like what everyone else is assuming it is.” Ursula looks at me curiously, and I continue, “You know. That we’re, well, going out.”

I can feel Diana’s discomfort at us talking about this, even if it’s distorted and she’s distracted keeping herself from falling off her broom, so I try my best to change the subject, “Do you have any tips on how to keep us from, well, constantly blowing up chunks of the school?”

The professor smiles, “I’m afraid what I said after the first incident is still true, it will really just come down to practice.” She hesitates, then adds, “Still, I was a little surprised to see that crater. I thought the two of you had gotten better at keeping your magic under control. Was anything different that evening?”

“Uhm, well…” I _really_ don’t want to admit this. It can’t be that, right? Even if it was the only thing that’s different? “Diana did sort of… touch my arm? Just to improve my sloppy wand movements, I mean!” I’m blushing again, great. “A-Anyway, I’m sure it just startled me and made me lose control for just a moment.”

Ursula nods. “I suppose that’s possible. I can understand not wanting everybody to know about this, it probably wouldn’t help with all the rumours going around.”

Groan. So it’s not just Diana’s friends and mine. I guess I shouldn’t have expected anything else, with how much Amanda’s been teasing me. She never could keep anything to herself.

“Incidentally, why’s Diana not around this afternoon? Does she have some other project to work on?”

I shrug, trying again not to show how much this has been affecting me today. “Oh, Holbrooke just asked her to take care of some magical… something near that lake to the south.”

Ursula’s face goes white, and I rush to explain, “It didn’t sound like anything too complicated! Just a… disturbance, I think she called it. It can’t be anything too dangerous, right?”

She simply shakes her head. What can be so bad about any of this? “It’s not _what_ she has to do, Akko.”

I stare back at her blankly. “I don’t understand.” Straining to check in with Diana, she seems to be going for a landing near the lake, though at a much faster speed than she normally does. I can vaguely sense her anxiety—maybe panic?—but it’s hard to make out the details. It's taking far more out of me to feel her presence than it should.

The professor takes a deep breath. “It’s _where_ she is. Have you noticed that your bond is stronger the closer you two are? That you’re just a little bit more tired when you’ve not shared a class all day? That your magical potential is much higher when, for example, Diana touches you. We have to go there immediately. That lake is far too—”

_Akko! There’s something wrong with my magi—_

Suddenly, I feel the most painful snap, and I collapse from my chair clutching my head with both hands. Ursula lets out a startled sound, and immediately rushes over to me. It feels like my head is splitting in half, as if half of me is being torn away, and I get the worst feeling in my stomach that Diana’s not just landing faster, that her broom stopped working entirely and she’s actually falling. And there’s nothing I can do to help her. All I can do is curl up and try to find her through our bond.

_Diana? Can you still hear me? Diana! DIANA!_

Seconds pass. Then a full minute. The pain slowly becomes more bearable, then fades to a vague soreness, and I feel almost disconnected from myself. But the usual mental noise doesn’t come back.

There’s only silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An extra chapter I’m publishing early to make up for being too busy to write lately. I’m trying to make use of the little bit of extra time I have as best I can, and hope you all enjoyed it even if I’m making my poor characters suffer.


End file.
